The Reconquista on the Iberian Peninsula lasted more than seven centuries. It was a time of glorious victories and bitter defeats, cunning betrayals and heroic loyalty. Christian resistance against the Moors gave Spain, perhaps, one of its most beloved national heroes—Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, nicknamed El Cid Campeador. The greatest writer of our time, author of the series of books about “Captain Alatriste” and “Falco”—Arturo Pérez-Reverte—decided to write his own vision of the life and deeds of the famous Spanish knight.
“‘Cid’ is a novel, not a documentary account, and that’s why, at my own will, I combined historical reality, legend, and fiction. And when the narrative calls for it, real events—such as the expulsion of Cid or the battles of Almenara and under Tevar—are sometimes described differently, sometimes fused together. The same happens with the heroes—both historical figures and those born from the author’s imagination. The Spanish tradition is rich in Ruy Diases. This one is mine.”